The Purple Stuff Podcast returns to our full length episode format with one of our favorite themed shows! If you’ve listened to us since we started the show, you know we’ve done 3 previous Spooky Songs episodes and they were all a lot of fun. Matt and I are huge fans of music of the Halloween season as I’m sure many of you are as well. This installment presents some deeper cuts to create one hell of a killer playlist for your 2017 Halloween celebrations. You’ll hear selections from obscure actresses turned minor pop stars, movie stars dabbling in macabre music, screaming Staten Island singers, and a theme from one ghoulish looking wrestler. If that doesn’t pique your interest I don’t know what will! Take a listen and subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen to your podcasts! Thanks for checking it out!

I went old school (as usual) and got my hard ticket to experience Tommy London’s solo show at the Gramercy Theater in NYC on 9/27. If his past performances as charismatic frontman of The Dirty Pearls are any indication, this show will be a total rock and roll party. I blasted him 10 questions to get some of the inside scoop on what we can expect from his new solo show and forthcoming debut album:

1. After rocking NYC and beyond with The Dirty Pearls, what inspired you to go solo?

I was working on new material with my guitarist, Matt Hogan, and as the tunes were coming together I started feeling like the new music was going in a different direction than what The Dirty Pearls were built upon. It felt like something new and different to me. And with the guys doing other projects outside of the band, the timing felt right for me to step away and see where this musical journey would take me. I never closed the door on The Dirty Pearls, but for right now this is my focus.

2. On stage, in your lyrics, and in your style, you’ve always been proud to wave the flag of your musical influences. How have these influences evolved from when you were frontman of The Dirty Pearls and is there anything inspiring you on your solo debut that may be surprising to fans?

Well I’ve always been attracted to the rock/power pop side of music like Billy Idol, Green Day, Killers, Van Halen, Jet, The Darkness and others along those lines. Bands who have these big melodic choruses that make the girls shake their ass and the guys pump their fists.

I think the evolving part came across in my songwriting with Matt. I noticed that we started to really embrace the pop side of the writing and add the rock on top. I think in the past I always did the opposite. Not that I didn’t have a pop sensibility before, you can hear it in The Dirty Pearls songs that I wrote/co-wrote. But, I really pulled out the punches on these new songs and went down avenues I never thought I would take as a songwriter but it just felt so right. I think these songs are really going to surprise all the fans who know me from The ‘Pearls the most.

3. Let’s say someone reading this is completely unfamiliar with you and your previous music, sell them on your new solo album with a one sentence pitch.

4. That was a bang-up job! I am sold. Still, the anticipation for the new album is killing me and your fans are just about to explode if it doesn’t come out soon. Do you have a release date set?

Trust me! I’m ready to explode too! I can’t wait to release it. My original plan was to have it out by the summer but plans got delayed but for good reason. At this point it’s looking like an early 2018 release. But everyone keeps asking to hear the new music so I thought a “live listening party” was best. So I booked a show last minute for Wednesday September 27th at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City so I could just play the songs for everyone! I can’t wait to hear the songs come to life in a live setting. It’s all I keep thinking about.

5. Definitely looking forward to it. For all the years I’ve known you, you have been a total workaholic and have an undying drive to keep sharpening your music and performances. Tell us about how you stay motivated and maintain your work ethic.

Wow man! Thanks so much for noticing! As for how to I keep sharp with my music, I just I keep growing as a songwriter. It’s really interesting to me to see how I have evolved in songwriting. I feel that really came about working with great producers like David Kahne, on The Dirty Pearls album, and John Fields on my new solo album. It’s funny because one of the main comments I keep getting from people who have had a sneak listen of the new album is that they are impressed with the songs. Major compliment.

As for the live show, I’ve always just looked ahead on how I can make sure the audience is on a rock n roll roller coaster ride. I try to make each show it’s own journey. You see, not only do you want the audience to remember the songs you play, but you want them to think back and remember how energized they got from your show. That will stick with them for sure and keep them coming back for more. It’s all about energy. As for the performer side of that, giving that energy and receiving it back from the crowd is such an indescribable feeling. It’s the highest of highs. That’s what motivates me. Makes me want to do it again and again.

6. Looks like I need to make a change in careers! To expound upon the previous question, what are some of your favorite diversions? Do you have any rituals when you are recording in the studio or hanging backstage?

When I’m getting dressed and ready for the show I love to put on a killer playlist of some high energy balls to the wall rock tunes and just sing along. Gets my juices flowing. When headlining, I love to get to the venue early to see the other bands and soak in the energy of the night. That gets me motivated too. The anticipation builds and builds. Love it.

7. In terms of touring in support of the new record, do you plan on playing everywhere possible or will you be appearing in select cities? What can we expect from your solo shows and how it will it differ from a Dirty Pearls concert?

Yes! As soon as I drop the album I plan on playing everywhere that I can! As for different, well, I am who I am, so you can expect the same excitement and energy from my solo shows that you got from a ‘Pearls show, but these new songs will be taking you a totally different journey. Trust me. And of course, I will still be playing some of my favorite Dirty Pearls songs in the sets as well.

8. That’s awesome news! Will you feature any cover songs on the album? If not, is there a song that you are constantly singing to yourself that might be too ridiculous to include on an album but you would secretly love to?

Funny you should ask that! We actually recorded one cover song for the album and it was a total mistake. I just started singing this particular song in the mic and my producer, John Fields, said, “man that would be a great song to cover.” I totally agreed and on a whim he said “Fuck it! Wanna record it?” So we tracked it right then and there. I sang twice thru and that was it. It was just totally organic. Awesome feeling. As for what song is it? I don’t want to say because I don’t want to ruin the surprise! I also don’t want anyone to steal the idea!! hahahaha.

9. I too am pretty good at unveiling surprises, so I can’t wait for that. Right now at this very moment, who or what is your spirit animal?

Without a doubt, it’s the tiger. I got a tiger tattoo on my forearm not too long ago because the spirit tiger is a symbol of removing all distractions from the mind and being 100% focused on the present moment. That defines me and is definitely the approach I took with my album and new musical venture. “Eye of the Tiger” baby.

10. I like it. Be Rocky! I find the Who the fuck is Tommy London? social media account to be fucking hysterical. Are you coming up with all of those? If the solo gig doesn’t pan out, maybe your calling is writing for SNL? Will that account be sticking once you make everyone on earth aware of who you fuckin’ are?

Hahahahahhaha! You know there isn’t a day that goes by that someone doesn’t say to me “Who The Fuck Is Tommy London?” No bullshit. Every single day!! Always makes me laugh. I create the memes, but the celebrity photos are always created by my good friend Dano Panariello. Friends and fans email me or tag me in ones they created all the time. It’s so funny how that marketing campaign just took off. Yeah, my @whothefuckistommylondon instagram page will always be there! And trust me, I already have a new campaign ready for when everyone figures out who the fuck I am! Stay tuned!!!

In the meantime, for those that do and don’t know who the fuck I am, come see me Wednesday September 27th at The Gramercy Theatre in New York City! Get more tix and info here: http://livemu.sc/2vy6cqc

To us, Halloween has officially kicked off, thanks to Dino Drac posting his first video of the season. Of course, The Purple Stuff Podcast’s Halloween celebration had already been in full swing with our new minisodes. We bring you a spooky new installment that is sure to be the perfect antidote for those who still think it’s too early to celebrate Halloween! (It’s never too early!)

In this episode, me and Matt drive to Philly to check out an Escape Room that he read about. This attraction wasn’t your run of the mill escape room as you can gather from the picture above. We entered an escape room that was basically Castle Dracula, our favorite haunted attraction of all time. We’ll tell you all about our excursion trying to find the place and what we encountered inside! It was a total blast. There couldn’t be a more perfect way to get into the vibes of the season. I’m getting excited just thinking about it.

As always, thanks for listening and reading! Please subscribe on iTunes and leave us a bunch of stars if you dig the show!

Dino Drac and I are back for another Halloween minisode! These have been a lot of fun so we bring you another installment of our aural lust for Halloween. In this episode we check out Dollar General and my old decrepit K-Mart. What we bring home may not exactly be considered “treasure” to most, but it brought us some more early signs of the season. We hope you enjoy this one! You can check it out on iTunes and Stitcher and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Thanks for listening and reading!

In this video I show off The Sexy Armpit & Cryptocurium’s exclusive limited edition Sammi Curr sculpture. We are so pumped to bring this to you. There will be 31 of them up for pre-order tomorrow 8/18 at Noon Eastern time, so don’t miss out!

The Purple Stuff Podcast’s 2nd Halloween Minisode is now available! In this episode, we decided to document our trip to the dine-in movie theater. Obviously, we wanted to see something spooky and Annabelle Creation was the perfect choice. I’m a big fan of the films in The Conjuring universe, although Matt hasn’t really seen them. In this abbreviated episode we run down the details of the trailers we saw, the food we ordered, and maybe even a little bit about the movie too! We hope you enjoy this fun little installment of The Purple Stuff Podcast. You can subscribe to us on iTunes and if you want to support the show, leave us a positive review on there! Thanks for reading and listening!

This is an ultra-limited run of 31! Pre-orders for this horror-metal masterpiece will begin on Friday, August 18th at The Cryptocurium Etsy store.

I’m extremely excited to announce The Sexy Armpit’s first exclusive collectible. This incredible sculpture of Sammi Curr from one of my favorite horror films, Trick or Treat, is a result of collaborating with my friend Jason McKittrick from The Cryptocurium. It’s quite a tag-team of New Jersey horror freaks and it’s been a long time in the making! Jason’s homemade horrors speak for themselves. His creations are sculpted and painted by hand and are versatile since they include magnets on the back as well as a d-ring if you want to hang them on the wall. With unparalleled artistry, he handcrafted a brand new vision of Rock’s Chosen Warrior! I can actually hear Fastway blasting in the background every time I look at this beaut. This is a must-own for Trick or Treat fans and horror fans in general. Do whatever you need to do to get this mega limited , crash the Etsy server if you have to. If you pre-order you’ll have it in time for Halloween. Show your support for Sammi and The Sexy Armpit by purchasing this over the top cool sculpture. Once you receive it, be sure to tag @SexyArmpit and @Cryptocurium! #NoFalseMetal

The Purple Stuff is ushering in the Halloween season in a very cool way. We’re obviously excited, and to celebrate the greatest season of the year, we’ll be releasing “minisodes” which are shorter episodes concentrating on aspects of the season that we haven’t delved into yet. Our first episode is available now. We tell the now legendary tale of what was to be a simple trip to find early Halloween stuff. We’ll certainly be doing these more often so be on the lookout! Check it out on iTunes, Stitcher, Podbean, and basically wherever else you can find podcasts!

Have you ever fantasized about having a real badass car? I know I have. Although it wouldn’t be much fun sitting in the never ending New Jersey traffic. That’s where the Purple Stuff Podcast comes in. In our new episode, Matt and I count down some of the coolest cars in pop culture!

It may sound like an offbeat theme for us, but it’s totally not a stretch. Think about it, we all know what kind of wheels we’d like to be whizzing around town in. Realistically, we can’t really drive around in a car that looks like a dinosaur-corvette hybrid, or a 4×4 with animal paw wheels. Many people require something more practical. Our imaginations ran wild here, fully ignoring gas saving techniques, speed limits, and pedestrian safety.

It’s another nostalgia packed episode. You’ll hear about our memories of cars from our youth, and my affinity for the girlfriend of a mysterious ghost driver with a sleek indestructible car. Fun times. Buckle up, this is going to be a crazy ride! Thanks for listening!

It’s officially summertime, so let’s make the best of it. For those of us yearning for those gloomy Autumn days spent watching horror movies and crisp moonlit nights waiting on line for a really bad haunted hayride, we do have minimal opportunities to capitalize on certain scares that summer actually provides. One of the most terrifying aspects of the summer is the possibility of a shark attack if you happen to go in the ocean. I easily dodge that risk by skipping the middleman and just watch JAWS and call it a day.

Aside from the most famous onscreen appearance of a shark in history, there’s so many more instances of Sharks in pop culture. On the latest episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast, Matt and I bring up all of that whacked out shark stuff! Our mutual fondness for sharks lead us to talk about their pop culture counterparts for a whole hour. As always, we’ve got some outstanding nostalgic choices as well as a few modern ones! It will fill the void as we approach the best time of the year.

We’ve been away for a bit, but we’re excited to be back! If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so through iTunes, Stitcher, and Podbean. Please leave us some stars and tell your like-minded friends that you listen to a podcast that they will dig! We can’t thank you enough for all the amazing feedback you’ve given us…it’s truly appreciated.

*You’ll definitely be familiar with the majority of our selections , but feel free to leave us some of your shark picks in the comments that didn’t get mentioned on the show! I’m sure I’ll get threats for not mentioning King Shark, but there’s always a sequel.